Force-feed lubricating device



222g H a g W {l E.

R. V. YEAGER FORCE FEB!) LUBRICATIRG DEVICE Filed July '10. 1923 July 8 I924.

Patented July 8, 1924.

' UNITED STATES TENToF-FICE.

' ROY v. YEAGER, or nus MOINES, Iowa.

FORCE-FEED LUBRICATING DEVICE.

Application filed July 10, 1923. Serial No. 650,617.

1 construction, especially designed for use in connection with engine crank shafts of the kindordinarily employed in internal combustion engines-for .thepur'poseof forcing lubricating oil into those portions of the shaft bearings which it is difficult and sometimes impossible to j thoroughly lubricate, and to the cylinders. I J I More specifically it is my. object to provide a device of this character in which friction of the metal working parts. of the'device, such as would tend to rapidly wear them, is almost wholly overcome, and hence the workingparts need not be removed for repair or'rep-lacement. V r

My invention consists in the construct on, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the ob ects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out 1n my claims, and illustrated in the accompanymgdrawings, in which: V v

' Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a-portion of an engine crank shaft and the stationary bearing for part of it, the latter-being shown in section and belng provided with an annular groove to receive the force feed blade, the crank shaft being shown-as provided with: an oil passageway to the crank bearings. if

Figure 2 shows a central, transverse, sectional view of a crank shaft and supporting bearings having my improvement applied thereto. 3 Y

force feed blade in a position adjacent to thestationary guiding'cam. a

Figure 4 shows a like" view showing the force feed blade in position after it has passed the guidecam; 4 s :Figure 5 shows. a perspective view of the force feed blade detached.

Figure 6 shows a plan view of a portion of the crank shaft with the force feed blade 1n position therein;and I o Figure 7 shows a detail-view illustrating the groove and guide cam. in one of the bearings members.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

. I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicatethe body of an engine crankshaft, 11 the crank arms and 12 the bearing members thereof, which are designed to receive the pitman for the piston. This crank shaft is of the ordinary construction.

Formed in the body portion 10 of the;

crank shaft-is a recess 13. Mounted within the recess 13 is a force feed blade comprising a body portion 15 havingtwo rounded guide members 16 and a central projection 317. These rounded guide members "are designed to enter rounded openings in the part 10 ,'and the projection 17 is designed to re celve an-extensible'coil spring 18. V c i The outer orwork'ing'fa'ce'of the force feed blade'i's preferably beveled or inclined as shown at 19,'and I have provided means 7 for limiting the outward movement of the blade 15 as follows: 7

20 indicates a pin fixed to the blade and 21indicates'a set screw seated in the shaft 10 and designed to engage said pin to limit 'the'outwa-rd movement of the blade. r The bearing for the shaft member, 10 7 comprises 'a stationary bearing member 22 and a removable bearing member 23, the latter being held in position by the nuts 2 1 on the bolts 25,,and the bearing members are ,preferablyprovided. along a central line relative to;the shaft member 10. The portions of bothbeari'ng members that are adjacent' to the shaft member 10 are preferably lined with Babbitt metal 26, and this Babbitt metallining is formed with an annular groove 27 substantially the same width as g the width of the blade 15. Figurev 3 shows a similar view with the Communicatin with this annular groove oroil chamber 2 is' an oil supply 'plpe 2 8,

groove or oil chamber 27, and is madeof a 1 separate piece of metaland held in place by the bolt and the nut 24, as clearly shown in Figures 4 and 7. Communicating with this oil chamber 27 are oil passageways 14 extending to points of discharge 'atthe crank bearing members 1-2, and the passageways 14 extend through the stationary c-rankbearing member to any desirable point such for instance as the interior of the engine cylinder not shown.

As shown in the drawings, Figures 2, 8, and 4, the shaft member '10 is designed to rotate in a clockwise direction and formed in 'the shaft a short distance in advance of the force feed blade is a groove or "depres sion 30 which communicates with :the oil passageways 14, 'as shown in Figure '6, and also by dotted lines in Figure 4. For the purpose of preventing the accimoulat-Ion of oil in the recess in which the force feed blade is mounted, I provide a miniature passageway indicated by the numeral 31inthe shajft member 10 leading from the bottom =of'sa1d recess to the exterior of the shaft on the side of the force feed blade "opposite its advance side.

In practical operation and assuming that the shaft member 10, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, is rotated in a clockwise direction, then after the force fe'ed blade passes the inlet pipe 28, the oil contained between the force feed blade and the cam guide 29 will be forced to travel out through the notch 30 and the passageways 14 and 14 until the force feed blade reaches the position shown in Fig. 4, or passes the cam guide 29.

Assuming that the device is being operated without oil, then during the major part of its movement. the outer edge of the force feed blade would stand close to the interior of the annular groove in which it is mounted, but its outer edge would not frictionally engage the metal forming the outer boundary of said groove, hence there will be no friction at this point. Under the same condition, however, the outer end of the force feed blade would, upon each revolution, violently strike upon the cam guide, and this would cause wear and friction and rapid deterioration of the parts so they would have to be repaired or replaced at frequent intervals. However, by having the notch 30 spaced apart from the force feed blade and in advance of it, then when the notch 30 passes the highest point of the cam shaped guide 29, as shown in Figure 3, the oil that is contained in the groove 27 between the notch 30 and the force feed blade cannot escape, and is substantially non-compressible, hence, when in the position shown in Figure 3, the oi-l' itself will act upon the inclined surface of the force feed blade and press the force feed blade toward the center of the shaft member 10 before the force feed blade can strike the cam guide, and this of movement.

By this arrangement the outer end of the force feed blade never comes into frictional contact with any of the metal parts, and

it is prevented from engaging the Babbitt metal by means of the screw 21, and it is prevented from engaging the cam guide by means of the oil cushion. There will, "of course, be some slight leakage of oil past the outer end of the blade during its progre' ss, and there will be a slight leakage sf :oil be tween the cam guide "29 and the adjacent surface of the shaft IO, but for the purpose for which this device is intended, this leakage is not a disadvantage and the device when in use will exert a sufficient pressure upon the oil 'to force it outwardly through the grooves 14 in desired quantities.

f 'ol'a iiil as my inventieng:

1. A device of the ei'ass described comprising a rotatable shaft, a bearing in which the rotatable shaft is mounted, an annular groove formed in said bearing, a force feed blade mounted in the shaft, there being a passageway leading from the gr-save 'to ("3on duct oil to a point of "discharge, and a can guide projecting into said grooye i-n the path of the force feed blade, for the purposes stated.

2. A 'force feed lubricating *device 0on1- prising in combination a sl'ia ft, a bearing in which the shaft is mounted, there being an annular groove between the bearing andthe shaft, a force feed blade 'slidingly mounted in the shaft to project into said groove, a spring for normally holding it outwardly, means for limiting its outward movement, the outer end of said blade being beveled or inclined in a direction outwardly relative to the shaft from its advance side, and a cam guide mounted in the bearing and prejeeted As soon as the force feed into said annular groove, there being a pas- "sagew'ay formed in the share at a point slightly spaced apart from the force reed blade on the advance side thereof, and means for admitting-oil into said renve, for the purposes stated.

53. A force feed lubricating device cenprising in combination a shed, a bearing which the shaft is mounted, there beiagan annular groove between the bearing-and the shaft, a force feed blade .slidingly 'I'noil-nte'd in the shaft to project into said groeve, a spring for normally 'holdingit oiitwardly,

means for limiting its outward movement,

the outer end of said blade being bevel-seer inclined in a direction outwardly relative to the shaft from its advance side, a can guide mounted in the-bearing and 'proieted into said annular groove, there being a passageway formed in they shaft at a point slightly spaced apart from the force feed blade on the advance side thereof, and means 5 for admitting oil into said groove, said parts being so arranged and combined that when the oil discharge passageways have passed the 0am guide, the oil contained in the groove between the cam guide and the force feed blade will be prevented from 10 escaping and will serve to force the force feed blade inwardly into the shaft to prevent its striking upon the cam guide.

7 Des Moines, Iowa, June 28, 1923.

ROY V. YEAGER. 

